The Blue Lagoon
by mockingjayme
Summary: AU Fabrevans fic based on the Lifetime reboot of 'The Blue Lagoon'. Quinn is the smart girl and Sam is the loner. On a school trip to an island off the Caribbean, a fateful night lands the two stranded on a deserted island where they have to learn how to survive on their own and they learn more about themselves than they could possibly imagine.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I blame this idea on the fact that I watched the Lifetime reboot of the Blue Lagoon. The acting could have been better, but at least the people were nice to look at. Anyway, since I watched the movie, I've been dying to write this. So, here you go. It's a little slow in the beginning for obvious reasons, but it'll pick up (it'll pick up A LOT within the next few chapters) It's a little long because I'm trying to get the slow stuff out of the way quicker. I want to get to the fun stuff!**

**Also. I do not claim to own the plot from Blue Lagoon: The Awakening, nor do I own any of the Glee characters. Because, let's face it, if I owned anything pertaining to Glee that would have affected the outcome of the finale, shit would make sense.**

* * *

Six am came way too early for Quinn as the bleeping of her alarm clock pounded against the thin curtains of her dreams, drawing her back into reality when her dreams were much, much nicer. It was all the things she couldn't do when she opened her eyes. Adventure and spontaneity. Which was why she was so reluctant to open her eyes to the present. But the alarm clock was persistent in its beeping and her eyes finally opened halfway, trying their best to block out the sun as she reached over and pounded on the tiny button to get the thing to shut up.

She lay there just a few more minutes until she knew she couldn't anymore. The quiet was no longer peaceful, so she tossed her blanket to the side and pulled herself out of bed. Her feet padded lazily around her room, going through the motions of her perfectly crafted morning routine. Shower first. Brush teeth. Dry hair. Get dressed. Wipe excess condensation off the mirror. Make up. Shoes. School.

She stopped at her fish tank, her one lonely fish swimming about in the thirty gallon. She smiled at him and tossed a few flakes of food before setting the container to the side and flipping on her computer.

"It's 7:15, you guys!" she called out to the rest of the house, making sure they were all awake as she ran through her plan for the day that she'd typed up the night before on a precise excel document.

* * *

He was kicking ass in his motocross game. They were all eating his dust and he was jumping over the mounds like a pro. His score was freaking sweet as hell.

"You're late," came his father's voice from the doorway.

It wasn't like Sam turned around, but he could still feel his presence. "And it was just enough to distract him from his game. His bike crashed into the back of a semi and blew up. "I know," he answered, his eyes still on the television. He didn't have time to start it over, so he tossed his remote to the ground and waited until he could no longer feels his dad's presence behind him before he stuffed his papers and crap he needed for school in his backpack and tossed it over his shoulder.

His souped up blue Bronco was his most prized possession and just to piss off his dad, he revved it real nice in the driveway, peeling out as he sped off in the direction of the school.

* * *

She was completely panicked. They were running late and her mom was just as cookie cutter as she was, driving the exact speed limit even though it kind of called for at least five over. The school was already buzzing with life as they pulled up to the curb.

Frannie, Quinn's younger sister, pushed open the back door while Quinn fixed her slightly tilted purple knitted hat on her head in the rearview mirror. The moment she stepped out of the car, an obnoxiously blue truck came barreling past, honking his horn and driving far too close for any of their likings. Frannie narrowed her eyes as he made a U-turn in the middle of the road and parked opposite them.

"God, that guy is such an ass," Frannie snarled, still glaring in his direction.

"Frannie," her mom warned, turning back to look at her younger daughter.

She was defensive. "What? He almost just ran me over in his ditch-mobile."

Her mother was still facing the backseat. "Well, you shouldn't be getting out that side anyway. Go out that side." She turned back to Quinn. "Hey, honey, did you get the list from Ms. Collier?"

She was pulling off her seat belt as she nodded, gathering up all of her books in her lap. "Uh, yeah. I've already done it."

"Okay great," her mother said as the same time Frannie piped up from the backseat. "Of course you have."

She turned her glare back on her little sister as she pushed the door open. "Really?"

"Girls," her mother warned, trying to break it up before it started.

Frannie was determined to keep it going, it seemed. "I hear it all day," she complained. Her voice took on a mocking tone as she spoke in the voices of all the people who apparently praised Quinn to Frannie. "Your sister was such a great student! Oh, Quinn just loved this book!"

"Fran! Enough." Her mother was almost desperate to keep the mood up and Quinn was just ready to get out of the car already. Preferably without strangling the younger Fabray so keen on giving her a hard time with her jealous mouth in the backseat. "So I have a showing at five, so I'll be home around six-ish. Any dinner requests?"

Quinn just shook her head, eager to get out of the car. "Anything's good." She slid out of her seat and called out "Bye, mom!" before she closed the door behind her.

"Bye sweetie, I love you!" she called out behind her.

She could still hear Frannie complaining even as she walked away. "She's the perfect girl and I'm the bad sister." She couldn't hear her mom's response and didn't care much either as she hurried to her first class, determined not to be late.

She met Santana at the lockers, practicing breathing exercises before she had a full blown panic attack because Santana was taking _far _too long getting her stuff together before they headed to the class where they were going to go over the itinerary and the plans when they got to the tiny island for Project for Humanity. She was honestly just thinking about leaving her behind.

She didn't seem to be following Quinn's though process as she looked up, bubbly about the upcoming trip. "Breath, Q. They're probably just going to talk about stuff we already know. I mean, the only reason I'm going is to get out of first period. We can be a little late."

Quinn looked at her as if she had a third eye. "Not really."

Santana turned to her then, shutting her locker and holding her hands up, frustrated with the blonde. "Oh, my God! You are going to explode if you stay this tight." Her face quickly changed from one of annoyance, to one with a plan. The kind of the plan that generally worried Quinn. She leaned in, a smirk on her face, but her eyes on something or someone behind Quinn. "Speaking of tight."

Just then Noah Puckerman, the star of the football team came walking in their direction and Quinn knew immediately that that was where Santana's eyes and mind were. But instead of continuing in the direction of the classroom, he turned, stopping to stand beside Santana. "Hey, Quinn," he said smoothly, nodding his head and turning before continuing on in the direction he'd been heading before he'd stopped.

Santana watched him leave and turned back to Quinn, her mouth hanging open. "'Hey Quinn'? He freaking knows your name!"

Quinn was honestly just as shocked as her brunette friend. She was just as speechless, watching him walk down the hallway. "I guess," she said uneasily, still unsure what just happened.

"You guess? Noah Puckerman knows your name!"

Not wanting to cause a scene, she grabbed her entirely-too-excited friend's arm. "Okay, can we go to class now, please?"

But Santana wasn't going to let it go that easily. "Can you sleep with him? Please? For me?" she begged, walking backwards so that she and Quinn were face to face. Quinn shook her head and they both started laughing, piling into the already packed classroom. She stopped short, never having been late to a class before and someone bumped into her, knocking her a few steps forward.

It was Sam Evans. "Woah. Sorry prom queen." His voice was sarcastic as he walked to the back of the classroom. She shot him a glare and looked over at the teacher who had been in the middle of explaining the next morning's schedule. He looked over at the small commotion and shook his head as she headed towards the empty desk behind Santana. "Hey you two find a seat let's go." He looked pointedly at Quinn. "I expect it from Mr. Evans, but I hope better from you, Quinn."

She hung her head as she set her purse down beside her. "I'm sorry Mr. Christensen." He just nodded and went on to explain what time everyone was to meet the next morning. Of course she'd be there. She didn't have to worry about that.

Santana turned to her, effectively ending her concentration on Mr. Christensen as he went over the things she already knew. "How'd lonely boy get on this trip?" she asked, shooting a glare in Sam's direction. "Daddy probably bought his way on." Her smile was smug.

Quinn shot her a look and shushed her.

"You know I can hear you, right?" came from a few desks back. It was Sam's voice and Santana stuck her tongue out at him and turned around giggling. She turned her attention back to the teacher.

"For the first five days in Trinidad, we'll be helping to renovate a school with Project Humanity. The last three days, we'll be exploring the island and going on cultural excursions throughout the country and it should be a lot of fun."

She had no doubt.

* * *

Lunch proved interesting as Santana and Quinn joined Brittany and Rachel at their usual table. They were abuzz with excitement, pre-planning and talking out loud. Except, they weren't the kind of plans that she would generally be behind.

"So," Santana started, the moment they sat down. "Headline: Noah knows Quinn's name."

"Whaaaat?" An enthused Rachel piped up as Brittany reached over for Quinn's food, pointing at her own plate. "Yeah, I'll trade you for your burger."

Quinn shook her head, sliding her plate in the direction of her friend. "You can have it."

"You sure?" Although she was already reaching for the burger.

She nodded again. "Yeah, I just wanted the fries." She popped one in her mouth as if to solidify the point. She laughed as Brittany offered no resistance and gladly took it.

Rachel spoke up again. "Wait. So Quinn and Noah? I kinda like that."

"Yeah. We have one week on the island to work our weavy magic and get young Quinn here laid by the quarterback." Santana nudged her blonde friend who just rolled her eyes.

"I don't have a say in this?" she asked with a ticked brow.

"No. Not at all," she answered back seriously.

"We're there to be _helping _people," she countered.

Santana matched her again. "And I'm trying to _help_ you," she shrugged, placing air quotes around the word.

All seriousness was back in Quinn's face as she turned to her friend. "We have jobs to do, Santana. I have looked at the itinerary and-"

"You _made _the itinerary," Rachel clarified, gaining a laugh from all of them.

"The school has every day – and _night_ -" she shot a knowing look at Santana, "planned."

"So? We'll change the plans. I mean, that's life, right? Oh. And by the way, I just found out that the carnival in Trinidad is when we're there."

Their voices began to fade out as her focus landed on something else entirely. Sam Evans sat at the table across from them alone with his feet propped up on a chair, his knife slicing through an apple. It was his demeanor that pulled her in. He sat like he couldn't really care less if anyone was talking about him because he'd rather be alone cutting up his apple. He just owned who he was completely and she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him.

An irritated "Really?" pulled her out of her stupor and she looked over to see Santana giving her a _are-you-freaking-serious _face.

"What?" she asked dumbly.

"Quinn's scoping Lonely Boy."

"Oh, he was in my middle school," Brittany said around the big bite of food in her mouth. "He used to be really nice."

"Yeah. _Used to be_. I heard he got kicked out of the last school he was in." Santana shot a belittling look in his direction, but he wasn't paying her any kind of attention.

"I think he's actually kind of cute. In a _Rebel Without A Cause _kind of way," Rachel offered with a shrug.

"Let me make it simple." Santana sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Girls like our Q don't hook up with _freaks_ like what's-his-face. Especially when she's got the quarterback on the hook."

A small commotion at Sam's table captured Quinn's attention again, along with the other three girls at the table.

"You can hand that to me." A superintendent stood in front of Sam with an open hand, waiting for him to hand his knife over. When he didn't, she crossed her arms. "Then you can follow me to the principal's office."

"Lead the way," he answered with a shrug, pocketing his knife and ignoring the _Oooh_'s from all the other students as he stood and followed the woman out of the cafeteria.

"Looks like _someone's _not going on the trip," Santana commented a little too smugly.

She tried to understand why she felt the tiniest bit of disappointment.

* * *

She was desperately trying to fit a ziplocked back up first-aid kit, but her suitcase was packed completely full.

"Wow," her father groaned dramatically as her mother helped her pack. "How long are you planning on staying?" He shot a bemused look at her packed full suitcase and sipped at his coffee.

Her mother jumped to her rescue. "You can never be too prepared, Russell."

"Ah." His tone was amused, not enlightened.

"Thank you guys so much for letting me go on this."

"No worries, sweetie," her dad started. "So what if I had to take a second mortgage out and your mom and me have to sell an extra mansion this month."

Judy Fabray shushed him with a lighthearted smile. "Don't tell her that."

Quinn and Judy shared a look and Judy pulled her daughter in for a hug. "Oh. I love my kids so much." Quinn laughed around her mother's shoulder, hugging her even tighter. She'd never been away from them for so long. It hit her all at once that she'd really, really miss them.

Russell, of course, couldn't keep his comments to himself. "Man! If this is what you two are like for an eight day trip, I don't even know what's is going to be like when she goes off to college."

"I know," Judy sighed, pulling away and sinking down into the bed, looking up at her daughter. "So I'm thinking we'll have to move to Yale with you."

"I support that idea," Russell said, pushing himself off the doorway and heading back down the hall.

"Wouldn't you love that?" Judy asked, Quinn moving back to her suitcase, desperately trying to zip it up. Quinn rolled her eyes and they both laughed.

* * *

"What are you talking about 'you don't want to go'?"

He didn't even have to see his dad to know that he was there. He could smell his expensive, choking cologne before he was even in the kitchen. "You know what kind of strings I had to pull to get you back on this trip?"

He shut the fridge and walked around the island to the cupboard. "For who, Dad? Me or you? 'Cause I don't even want to go on this stupid trip. If I'm gonna be forced to hang with a bunch of people I don't talk to when I'm here, anyway."

"It's an opportunity, son. It's a chance to do something for someone other than yourself."

He looked at his father for a moment, thinking maybe his stare would waiver. But it didn't. Frustrated, he filled up his cup and started walking towards the door. "Can we go? We're gonna be late," he called over his shoulder. "Then I'll be stuck here and you'll have to look at my face all week."

He didn't wait for his dad. He'd catch up. He didn't know what he hated more. The thought of going on the stupid trip, or the thought of staying home.

* * *

"Let's go, gang! All aboard!" Mr Christensen called, standing guard just outside the door to the bus while Quinn said her goodbyes to her family.

"Be careful," her mom said, finally pulling out of what could have been the world's longest, tightest hug. "Love you."

Quinn and Santana waved goodbye and turned towards the buses, Judy calling out "be safe you girls. Love you!" after them.

A few hundred feet away, Sam pulled his backpack around his shoulders, shutting the door and heading towards the buses, only to be stopped by the sound of his dad's voice. "Sam." It was a command enough to stop him in his tracks and he turned slightly to the side so that his father knew he was listening. "Be safe."

"Will do, Father," he tossed over his shoulder, almost sarcastically. He heard the car pull away moments later, but he didn't even give it a second thought. The next time he saw his father again, it would be too soon. And he was sure the sentiment was shared.

* * *

Quinn almost walked right into Noah as she was going to get on the bus, Santana on her right side. She looked up and he turned to her, stopping in front of the steps. He looked like he was still half asleep and he smiled at her. "How are you doing, Quinn? Crazy early, right?" They both laughed; him tiredly and her almost in shock that he was still going out of his way to talk to her.

As he walked up the stairs, Santana stepped in front of Quinn, facing her. "That was _two_ sentences. He's upping his game. You are so getting laid!"

Quinn rolled her eyes and followed her friend on the bus.

It was going to be an insanely long ride.

* * *

The island was beautiful. Despite the jetlag, she was able to take in all the beauty of the place. The sapphire blue oceans, the locals beating drums and playing music with open guitar cases right on the beach. Jet skiiers and parasailers. She almost wish it was just an actual vacation and not something for Project Humanity. The island air was fresh and alive and she found herself wanting to dance with the performers they watched as they drove down the tiny streets towards their hotel.

Everyone piled out of the vans and one of the chaperones tried to get everyone's attention. "Okay, everybody listen up. Project starts tomorrow which means we have a few hours today to get settled in and go hang by the pool if you want. And then we're all going to go to dinner."

Everyone hooted and hollered, glad to finally be free of the vans. Santana weaved her arm through one of Quinn's as they walked in the direction of the hotel. "Listen to what I tell you, Q. Screw your schedule because this is going to be the best ever."

* * *

No one wasted any time stripping down into their bathing suits and heading to the pool. By the time the foursome got there, it was almost completely packed. People were hanging around the bar, abusing the legal drinking age, doing cannonballs into the water and splashing the sunbathers.

Santana scoped the area. "Hm. No locals. Damn. Oh well. Who's the lucky boy?" She rubbed her hands together as if she were getting ready to feast, not scoping out her next victim. She bumped shoulders with Quinn. "Don't worry, Q. I'm not going to steal your quarterback."

The found a spot to set their things and they all dropped their covers and were left only in their bathing suits. "Alright, ladies. Let's do this!" They grabbed hands at the edge of the pool and counted to three before jumping in.

The crowd already in the pool welcomed them immediately, beginning a game of splashing the others until someone gave up. Quinn ducked underwater and when she came up, her eyes searched the hotel. Sam's eyes met hers from his spot on the balcony almost immediately. She offered him a small smile and she thought maybe she saw him give one back, but she was being dragged back by Noah, laughing and screaming, trying to splash him enough to make him let her go.

The rest of the day, Sam haunted her mind. He was just always back there, and she couldn't seem to shake him.

* * *

Thankfully, the next few day they were put to work. The hard labor kept her from thinking too much. She was surrounded by sweaty men handling power tools and she couldn't seem to think about anything aside from the fact that she couldn't think about anything.

She was working on sanding down some boards when Mr. Christensen's voice plowed through her thoughts. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! Be careful up there!"

She turned her head to match his line of sight to see Sam walking precariously across the roof of one of the buildings they'd recently put together. He bowed dramatically. "Whatever you say boss," he said before jumping backwards onto the steadier part of the roof.

Noah came up beside Quinn where she was fixated on Sam. "He's gonna get freaking killed and ruin it for all of us." He touched her shoulder, his hand remaining there for a moment too long. "You should get some lotion on your shoulders. You're going to burn." She pulled a shirt over her camisol to cover her shoulders and of course Santana popped up right after Noah walked away. "Day two and first contact has been made? Yes, please. This is going to be easier than I thought. Looks like Q's getting some big action."

Quinn just shook her head, laughing at her inappropriate friend as she walked away.

* * *

At the end of day two, Quinn was exhausted. She pulled up Skype with her parents. They asked all the parent-y questions and she left out the part where Santana was hell bent on getting her to sleep with the quarterback who had _just _recently begun to show his interest in her. If talking to her for the first time meant he was interested.

Rachel came barreling through their front door squealing, causing both Santana and Quinn to jump. "Game on, ladies-"

Quinn gave her a pointed look and whispered "Skyping" loud enough for her hear. Which sounded a good deal like "shut the hell up" without so many words.

"With the 'rentals," Santana added.

"Okay. Get off. Now. Seriously. It's urgent."

"Honey, are you alright?" Judy Fabray's voice came from the computer and Quinn shot a look at Rachel and then back at her computer.

"Um. Yeah. Um. Sorry. Ms. Collier is calling lights out," she lied. And she hated herself for it.

"Alright, alright. Go 'head. We love you. Have fun," Russell said, just as Judy opened her mouth to speak.

"Get a good night's sleep, babe," Judy chimed in.

"Love you guys. Bye."

They both said their good nights one last time before she shut her laptop. Rachel almost couldn't wait to start talking. "Okay. So I'm downstairs buying freaking toothpaste because I ran out- and can you believe that they charge you five dollars for a tube of-"

"Losing interest," Santana cut in, already bored with her spiel.

"Okay. Headline. Carnival party tonight on some local dude's boat. I know. And Noah invited us. And he singled you out, young Quinn. They're leaving right now but the boat leaves in half an hour."

Quinn shook her head, looking from the two of them who were obviously into the idea. "I... I don't know."

Santana snapped her hand in Quinn's direction. "Shut it. _We_ are going. You are going. Even if I have to tie you up and drag you to the boat."

"Seriously. We'll be done by midnight. Two o'clock the latest.

She really didn't want to, but at the same time, she kind of liked the idea of an adventure. And Noah was inviting her. That made her feel pretty special. "Okay," she agreed, smacking the palm of her hand against her head.

Not ten minutes later, clad in more than pajamas, they were running out of the hotel towards the boat. They hopped in a cab, laughing and waving at the men they passed. The adrenaline was running high. Especially for Quinn who just didn't do things like this.

They pulled up to the boarding dock with an enthusiastic Rachel running up ahead and turning around. "Carnival, bitches!"

As she stood there a moment longer, taking in the scene, there was a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach. Something very, very bad was going to happen. She just knew it.

In hindsight, it was a seal of fate as she walked towards the boat, knowing in every ounce of her being that she shouldn't be there. She shot a look back at the island for what she didn't know then would be the very last time.

* * *

**I know this chapter was super long and filled with stuff you probably don't care about, but that's why I wanted to lump it all together in one big chapter. I the next chapter will still be a tad slow, but it'll get into the story more and I'm planning on the third chapter being where it really starts to get good. So please, review and tell me what you think. Five reviews and I'll post the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I honestly didn't expect so many reviews in one night. I'm kind of blown away, actually. I thought it would take a little while and I would be able to write a few chapters ahead and have them ready to go for when I reached a goal, but you guys are pretty awesome. So, thanks for the reviews. It really means a lot.**

* * *

Stringed lights lined the boat, and though it hadn't even left the dock, the party was obviously already in full swing. The four girls took off running towards the loading ramp, hooting in excitement as they got closer. The ramp was steep and they tried to keep up a steady pace.

"Run for it," came from up above and Quinn looked up in time to see Noah smiling down at them. A guy in a blue shirt and a seriously hipster hat stood at the end of the ramp, his feet firmly on the boat. He offered the girls his hand to help them over the last hurdle and they were finally on board.

The boat was hot, filled with so many dancing bodies. Too many pressed too close together. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves, but it seemed a little too much for Quinn to handle. She didn't feel like grinding up against a sweaty stranger's body was her kind of fun.

Thankfully, Santana wasn't ready to stop and dance just yet. They walked along the outside of the boat as it quickly began to pull away from the docking station. Before she knew it, the island was out of sight. And they hadn't even cleared the first story yet.

"This is so fun." Santana's voice was excited. Quinn could tell that she was talking about the potential of the party and not the actual party itself. Santana like the action. They hadn't stopped walking yet in order to reach that level.

They passed by two older men, nodding their heads in the girls' direction. "What's up?" they asked, their eyebrows ticked in invitation.

"Ah, no. I'll pass," Santana said, shouldering passed them. Brittany, Rachel, and Quinn followed after, laughing at the men who'd just been denied in the worst way. She turned to Quinn as they dodged the dancing girls in shiny costumes. "Okay. Let's go get a cocktail and find your man."

"Not my man and not drinking," Quinn clarified.

Santana didn't seem to like that answer. She groaned. "Ugh, Q. You gotta loosen up. Get out of your element. Just a little," she added after Quinn still seemed dead set against her pleas.

"I like my element."

The dancing was even more upbeat upstairs than it was down. There were people in costumes, people smoking something that didn't smell like cigarettes. There were strobe lights and loud music and dancing bodies everywhere. She had to admit that the atmosphere was a bit catching. She even found herself nodding her head to the beats of the loud island music, though still hugging the sides of the boat. It was a little progress. Santana should take what she could get.

It didn't take long for Rachel and Brittany both to find a potential, who just happened to be locals. And far be it from her to play the third wheel. Or... fifth wheel. Santana had all but disappeared and she figured she could find her and maybe Santana could even convince her into going to find Noah. "I'm going to go find Santana," she said. Apparently to no one in particular because neither of them looked in her direction.

She shrugged and made a big circle around the top floor of the boat. She passed more costumed girls, someone beating on what appeared to be homemade drums. She actually stopped for a moment just to appreciate it. The dark man behind the drums noticed her interest and blew her a kiss.

It was time to move on.

She circled the small deck at least twice before she decided that Santana must have disappeared to the bottom deck. She descended the stairs carefully, hugging the rail as people already wasted drunkenly stumbled up and down them. Once she had her feet firmly on solid ground, she let go of the rail and peeked in the cockpit with no luck. Though she saw more than she ever wanted to see of two complete strangers. She fumbled through an apology and felt her cheeks flush as she tried her best to flee as quickly as possible.

The boat felt a lot bigger when she was exploring it alone. She got more than one proposition and a whistle sent her way by drunk horny twenty-somethings that she tried her best to ignore. She really just wanted to find Santana. The feeling she had before getting on the boat was starting to come back full force. It was like a fist tightening around the fragile strings of her heart, making it impossible to breath, spreading goosebumps all over her body.

She happened to look down what appeared to be a small hallway. Her eyes landed on Noah first. He and Santana were talking and she almost wanted to roll her eyes. Was she going to send him to go find her and put the moves on her? Let him know that maybe she'd be a little more fun after a few drinks?

Santana cast a look behind her, making sure they were alone, and her hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Quinn was just frozen in place as she watched her friend make out with the guy she'd been dead set on setting her up with since before they even got to the island.

She knew her anger was probably irrational. The biggest appeal Noah even held to her was the fact that he was the quarterback and he was giving her attention. Asking for her by name. She shook her head, walking away from the scene. She wasn't really sure _what _she was feeling. She kind of just wanted to be back in her hotel room instead of stuck in the middle of the Caribbean on a boat with a whole bunch of people she didn't know.

"Isn't that your boyfriend?" Sam asked, a beer in his hand. She turned, surprised. She hadn't seen him there and she felt an irrational anger at the fact that someone else had witnessed her best friend being... the opposite of a friend.

"What's it to you?" she countered. He just shrugged and took a long pull from his bottle. She watched him for a moment and turned away.

She missed the way he turned back to Noah, shaking his head like he was the biggest idiot in the world. Quinn Fabray was interested in him and he had a chance with her. But just like any jock, he just wanted to score. He might have been the asshole, freak, loner kid, but at least he knew that she deserved better than that.

Quinn squeezed the edge of the boat between her hands, looking down at the water as it rippled angrily behind the disturbance the motor caused as it propelled the boat forward.

What she didn't expect to hear were the sounds of police sirens. The coastal guard shined bright, heavy lights at the people, barking orders through a megaphone. "Move to the front of the boat! Move to the front of the boat!"

The scrambling of people to empty their alcohol and drugs over the side of the boat caused a major commotion throughout the whole boat. People ran into other people trying to get to the front as quickly as possible without being seen. Quinn was frozen in place, completely panicked. What was going to happen when they got back to shore? How much trouble was she going to be in? She bit down on her lip, looking out at the ocean for just a moment before someone knocked into her. Hard. She lost her balance, desperately reaching for the side of the boat to stop her fall. But it was too late. She screamed as she felt herself going over the side, the water rushing up to meet her.

* * *

Stupid cops. Stupid fucking cops. It was the last thing he needed. He was never going to hear the end of it from his father. He was always the screw up. He could never do anything right and even when he was minding his own business, going out on a boat party just to blow off a little steam, he was still managing to get himself into trouble.

And who knew where it would land him. There was only so many "second" chances he could get before people stopped giving him a break. He never asked for them, but sometimes people still took pity on him because of his mother. He didn't know whether to count his blessings or to be angry that they continued to give him breaks.

Maybe getting into trouble was what he wanted. Maybe he didn't want to hear that he was acting out because he was still hurting. He didn't want people to analyze him. He just wanted to be left alone.

But after almost getting kicked off the trip once, he knew that some major consequences were going to come from being caught on boat party. He knew he was out of second chances.

A scream caught his attention and he turned his head towards the sound. It was the very same spot he'd seen Quinn standing only a moment ago. His eyes quickly scanned the area surrounding where she'd just been standing, but she was nowhere to be seen. He cut the rope to a dingy not even waiting to hear the splash it made as it fell into the ocean.

He ran over to the side, not hesitating a moment to jump in. "Quinn!"

"Help!"

When he broke the surface, he grabbed her and made sure she was above the water. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What the hell does it look like? I fell." She was panting, fighting the urge not to panic as a million different scenarios ran through her head.

He scooped her up and helped her to the dingy that was quickly being pushed away by the current. "Climb up," he ordered, helping her get inside and out of the water. Once she was in, he pulled himself in and shook the water from his hair. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to get a good look at her. "You alright?"

"Just great," she answered sarcastically, digging through her purse to make sure everything was still in its respective ziplock bag. She looked up to see Sam leaning over to cut away the last rope that attached the tiny boat to the big one. "What are you doing?"

"I'm in enough trouble, I can't get busted." She heard the rope give way to the sharp ends of the knife and she looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you out of your mind? You think we're going to dodge the cops?"

"We'll be fine. We'll go back to the hotel when things cool down, okay?" He stood up to pocket his knife and Quinn shot a longing look at the boat that was quickly pulling away from them.

"On this? I want to get back on the boat." Her voice was desperate. They both turned to watch the boat speed away from them. "It's getting too far away."

"We'll just hang back and follow them." Even as he spoke, he knew they didn't have a chance. The boat was moving too fast. They'd lose them within the hour. "We'll be fine."

The thunder that had been threatening them all night finally unleashed its downpour. "Hurry. We won't be able to see the boat!"

The rain was a blanket of water. The lights faded to pale candle light flickers in a dark room.

"How are we going to get out of here?"

No, he didn't know. He was just as panicked as she was. "I'm working on it, alright?"

"Do you even know which way to go?"

"Be quiet, let me think!" Her words were just piercing into his head. He didn't want to disappoint her, he didn't want to be stuck out there, he didn't care about getting in trouble with the stupid cops anymore. He searched through the hidden compartments for some kind of emergency device. Something that might get him touch with the coast guard. They only had a single paddle.

He searched through the tarp, pulling it away before tossing it down, completely lost. "Dammit! No motor."

"No motor?" Her voice raised to slightly hysteric. She could feel them slipping further and further away from civilization and the rain beating down on her just seemed to solidify that thought. "What now, genius?"

He shook his head, his palms out. "I don't know." He couldn't really say anymore, because he didn't know. He had no idea. The lights were already gone from sight.

"What do you mean you don't know? We're stuck in the middle of nowhere with noth-"

He looked up in time to see the storm building its most dangerous wave. He had to look up to see the top. It looked angry and it curled towards them as if it were taunting them. He grabbed the tarp and Quinn who screamed when she saw it too. He held it over both of them, holding onto her so tight he thought he might have cut off her breathing as the wave crashed down over them, sending them spinning and sputtering as it tried desperately to pull them under.


	3. Chapter 3

**To the people who are worried about Puck in any way, shape, or form: He won't be back into the story until almost the very end. And sure, since it seems to be kind of a big deal, I'll call him Puck. And no, this is not a Quick story.**

**Again, I own nothing except for my claims that RIB don't know what they're doing and Brenton Thwaites looks delicious without a shirt on.**

* * *

The storm tossed them around mercilessly for hours. The rain pounded down over the tarp, the muffled sounds of Quinn's cries were lost in the beating sound of the water and the angry sea as it threatened to finally drag them under for the final time. He held her tightly to him until, finally, the sea calmed and the rain slowed to a drizzle and then stopped completely.

She crawled away from him when she felt like it might have been safe to move and moved to lay with her head by his feet, her feet by his head. She kept the tarp tightly over her body and fell into a restless sleep. She woke up every few hours to a still-dark night in a panic only to realize her nightmare was actually her real life. Her dreams were safer.

She was baking hot by the time she woke up and it was actually light outside. Sam tossed the tarp off his body, effectively removing it from shielding her face. She whined as the sun hit her full blast and her hand came up to cover her eyes, stretching out her stiff back as she sat up.

They were both silent as they looked around and saw nothing but water on every side of them for miles. It took a few seconds for it to sink in that they could have been anywhere by now. There was no sign of civilization anywhere. No boats, no sound, there weren't even any seagulls. Quinn's stomach dropped.

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity but what was probably just a few minutes before she sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. "How far do you think we've drifted?"

He was mindlessly rolling the tarp through his fingers when she spoke. He took a deep breath, shooting a look out at the endless expense of sea. "I don't know." When her face fell, his voice took on a more positive edge. "Just keep an eye out. It can't be that far."

He wasn't sure if she was naïve or if she just desperately wanted to believe him, but she turned her head to look out across the sea. But there really was no denying what was right in front of her face. "We've been out here for hours. Is this part of your brilliant plan?"

They both got quiet after that. Quinn wasn't sure if she was still in denial or if she had finally hit the stage of anger. She shot Sam looks every now and then, trying to come up with another way to yell at him for the both of them being stuck out there. But she couldn't think of any, and it wouldn't change the fact that they were on a tiny inflatable dingy in the middle of the Caribbean.

Sam reached into his still slightly damp pocket and pulled out his phone. His attempt to turn it on was anything but wholehearted. The phone didn't respond at all and he tossed it on the floor of the tiny boat. "I can't believe my phone got totally soaked."

She looked up at him, rolling her eyes as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the side of the dingy. "Yeah. I can't believe that either," she answered sarcastically.

"Try your phone again." He nodded towards her purse.

She rolled her eyes, digging through her purse to try something she'd obviously already tried. More than once. "I already told you, I'm not getting reception out here. In case you've forgotten, we're in the middle of the ocean. I don't think they build cell towers out here. Generally people are smart enough to stay _on _a boat instead of trade up for a dingy. At night. During a storm."

She was probably looking for a fight, but he didn't give her one. He looked at the floor of the boat and her eyes fell to the floor as well. She found herself feeling bad for constantly throwing it in his face and she pulled a bottle of water from her purse that she'd stashed in there the night before and offered it to him. "Water?"

He took it without a second thought. "Thanks," he said, already twisting off the cap and bringing it to his lips. He laughed as he swallowed and her eyebrows pulled together. She questioned him with a raise of her eyebrow. "I can't believe you brought water to a party."

She was offended. She turned her glare on him. It wasn't her fault that he was never taught the small tips and tricks for when your friends tried to drag you to parties you wanted no part of. "I didn't want to get dehydrated. _That's _what gives you a hangover."

He leaned over to her, his face one that instantly made her angry. "Oh, really? I thought it was the tequila." He smiled a defiant, cocky smile and she rolled her eyes.

She snatched her water bottle from him and stuck it back in her purse. She nodded at the end of the boat. "I still can't believe there's no motor. I mean, that's the point of the dingy, right? For emergencies? Why else have the damn dingy?"

He laughed, his head falling back on the surface of the dingy. She looked at him like he was out of his mind. She wasn't sure if maybe he started out crazy or maybe he was already starting to lose it from being out on the water for so long. Nothing that she had just said should have been considered comical. It was anything but funny.

"What? What part of that was funny?" Her eyebrows creased and she shook her head as he continued to laugh.

"'Dingy' is funny. It's a funny word." He paused as if he was trying to give her a moment to adjust to how completely irritating he was about to be. "Dingy."

"We're _floating _in the middle of the Caribbean. You know that, right?" Her tone was scolding.

He sobered. "Yeah. I know. I also know that freaking out isn't going to make us any _less _screwed, so." He leaned back against the floor of the dingy, stretching out as much as he could across the short width

"So what do we do?"

"For now? We float, I guess." It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. It was like she was still trying to trick herself into believing that there was an easy fix to the situation they were in. She knew that there wasn't, but hearing it spoken out loud made her heart sink. "Oh." He sat up, drawing her from her thoughts for a moment as he reached into his pocket. "You want some gum?"

The insecure girl inside her recoiled, trying not to breathe as she spoke. "Why? Is my breath bad?"

He shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Probably." Not that he'd gotten close enough to smell it. He popped out a piece and offered it to her. She seemed eager to take it and she chewed for quite a few moments before she allowed herself to speak again. Sam was amused that she could care about something like her breath when just a moment ago she was berating him about his 'brilliant plan' that had her stuck out in the middle of the ocean. He popped a piece in his own mouth as she looked out across the water.

"Thanks," she said quietly before they lapsed back into silence.

* * *

It didn't seem possible that the temperature could possibly rise, but it was. It was getting hotter as the hours dragged on at a slow and agonizing pace. Surely it should have already been evening time. He couldn't resist anymore as he dipped his head in the cool water and pulling back to let it drip down his front and back. "Ahhh, that feels good. You should try it."

She looked up at him from where she sat with her sunscreen in hand. "No, thanks." She watched the water drip down his face and onto his shirt, dampening the fabric and making it cling to his body as if they were one thing.

"You want me to get your back?"

She shot him a look. That question didn't even deserve an answer. She was wearing a shirt to cover her back as it was. She pointedly ignored him and rubbed the last bit of sunscreen in on her chest.

"What's with all the ziplocks?" he asked when she tossed her sunscreen back in its respective bag.

She looked up at him. "What?"

"You carry all your crap around in baggies?" He nodded his head towards her purse filled with ziplock bags, keeping everything separated.

She furrowed her brows. It was a simple answer, she thought. She shrugged. "It keeps things from getting messy..."

He smiled. "How's that working out for ya?"

She was back on the defensive. "Yeah? Well at least _my_ phone is dry."

He nodded. That wasn't exactly a point he could argue. Although it didn't do them much good if she couldn't get a signal. It was as good as waterlogged.

"We should have followed the police boat back to shore."

He rolled his eyes. She was still talking about this? It wasn't going to make it happen anymore than wishing that a juicy steak would appear in front of him would make it so. "Yeah, with what? A single paddle? Sure." He picked up the one paddle they had and dropped it back on the floor of the boat to further prove his point.

"I'm just saying."

"Okay, first of all, I figured we'd be able to row back in later. And second of all, lest we forget, Prom Queen, you were the one who decided to take a moonlit dip in the stormy water–"

"I _fell _off the boat," she argued. She set her glare on him and spoke again through clenched teeth. "And my name is _Quinn_."

He looked straight ahead and laughed once, humorlessly. "Okay, _Quinn_," he mumbled, leaning his back against the back of the boat and closing his eyes. She watched him for a moment and then looked past him. The undisturbed waves rolled carelessly through the water. It wasn't until a brown speck caught her attention. She watched it for a moment, sure that her eyes were playing tricks on her.

She kept her eyes on it and minutes later, when it still hadn't disappeared, she pointed at it. "The island!" She shouted. Sam sat up and focused his eyes in the direction she was pointing. He laughed and shook his head. "That's _way_ too far. Let's just wait until someone comes by and spots us."

She glared at him. The island was visible and he was just going to sit back? Not a single form of life had been by them all day and he wanted to just sit back? "_Are you kidding? _Fine, then. _I'll _paddle!"

She went reaching for the paddle and he held out his arms to stop her. "Alright. Jeeze. I got it. I'll paddle."

One paddle hardly made them go any faster than they were going by just lying in the boat, but Quinn told him to row faster anyway. He was probably ready to toss her out, but she could almost _taste _solid ground, it was so close. She honestly thought that there was a chance she might never know what it felt like to walk on solid ground again. But now she could see it and she wanted nothing more than to get there. The waves began to pick up the closer they got to the island. The beach looked smaller than the one she remembered and she figured they were just on the wrong side and they'd have to do some walking before they got back to the hotel. She didn't care. She'd gladly walk.

Her own excitement got the better of her when she could clearly make out almost every detail about the island, and her hand went into the water to help paddle. She could feel Sam's excitement too, as he paddled harder. She went from side to side, paddling with her hands as hard as she could. She was oblivious to the fact that he was splashing water towards her as he paddled just as hard. The rocks surrounding the island turned them into the ball in a pinball machine. The waves aided in knocking them into rock after rock, but thankfully it only propelled them forward.

One big wave came up behind them. "Sam!" Quinn yelled, pulling him back so he didn't go flying off when it hit them. It pushed them forward enough to be able to push the paddle into the sand and pull themselves forward that way. Quinn jumped back to using her hands as a paddle as they desperately pulled themselves forward despite the current that was trying to pull them back.

Sam jumped out when he knew he'd have good footing and he grabbed the boat. Quinn joined quickly after and they tugged forward until the boat was up on the shore, away from the waves. Sam collapsed into the sand first, Quinn following quickly after. She fell to her hands and knees. She almost wanted to cry. She'd never been so relieved to be on dry land.

"You okay?" came Sam's voice from just a few feet away.

She looked up and swallowed. "Yeah." Her breath was ragged, her heart beating so fast she thought it might just beat right out of her chest. "You?"

He rolled over and looked at the island in front of them, the thick jungle of trees. "Yeah. Think so."

Quinn went for her phone, holding it up, sure that she'd get service now. She'd had no problem getting it on the island. But the signal bars never changed. She was still getting no signal. "No coverage. We'll have to find a phone." She dropped her phone back in its bag and stuck it back in her purse.

"Great," Sam said sarcastically, pushing himself up off the ground and brushing off the sand he'd collected.

Quinn started walking, knowing he'd follow soon enough. Sure enough, he was walking behind her and she was leading the way. He stopped suddenly, calling back "Hey, wait up" as he headed back to the boat. She stopped and folded her arms, watching him rifle through the stuff she was pretty sure they didn't need at the moment. But she waited anyway.

He tossed aside the tarp and dug around the floor of the boat. He pulled out a tiny tin box that had a flare gun and some bullets.

"Come on," an impatient Quinn called from the edge of the forest.

He pulled the gun from the box and the two bullets and tossed the rest of the box back in the dingy. Quinn rolled her eyes as he ran to catch up to her. "Really? Who's that for?"

He shrugged as they started walking in the opposite direction of the ocean. "I don't know. Shoot the bad guys?"

They laughed and then walked determinedly in the direction of the other side of the island where they were sure they would find everyone else. And she didn't even care at this point if they got in trouble. She just wanted to change her clothes, take a shower, brush her teeth, sleep in a comfortable bed...

"I don't know about you, but I could use a coffee. Like a mocha ice blend with an extra shot." He grabbed at a stray twig poking out at him and tore it off, breaking it into pieces as they walked. He wasn't even sure why he was talking. He knew the minute they got back to the island, he'd be blamed for perfect little Quinn Fabray being out in the storm all night. She'd be the victim and he'd go back to being Loner Boy. But for the last remaining moments, he was going to be Sam Evans. That was good enough for him. "Oh, man. How good would that be?"

He turned suddenly as Quinn screamed. She was desperately kicking her foot out and away from her. A centipede had fallen on her foot and he couldn't hold in his laughter even if he tried. He clutched at his empty stomach as he laughed a hard bellied laugh at her ridiculous reaction to a tiny bug. "What was that?"

"I hate bugs," she snarled, walking around the bug in a distance that was completely unnecessary and trudged along.

"Well, you've come to the right place then," he joked. She just rolled her eyes. He wouldn't have been laughing had it been _his _foot it landed on. She hoped one would. Then she'd see who would be laughing.

"Let's just find the hotel. We're supposed to finish working on the school today. Everyone is probably worried about us." Sam stopped walking and she walked past him. She had no idea why he wasn't in a hurry, but she'd go without him if she had to.

"You maybe," he mumbled before following after her. He was probably already being painted as the villain who'd corrupted the sweet, innocent, naïve prom queen. "I promise you, nobody's worried about me."

* * *

Quinn quickly regretted thinking that she would walk for miles so long as she could be back on the island. They had both been walking for what felt like hours and she felt on the verge of passing out. Or just throwing herself off the top of a really high cliff. "My feet are _killing _me," she complained.

"I freaking hate hiking," was Sam's response. She was glad that they were finally seeing something eye-to-eye for once because if he'd said something smart, she probably wouldn't have been able to stop herself from launching him off a very steep hill.

She wasn't exactly dressed for walking long distances. Her sandal straps were cutting into her feet and rubbing against her heel. She sucked in a sharp breath and Sam stopped walking, turning around to look at her. "You want to wear my Chucks?" he offered.

She stopped short, taken aback by the offer. She smiled but shook her head. She'd tough it out. "That's okay." She paused, watching him as he turned and started walking again. "Thanks, though." She let her eyes wander around her surroundings, trying to get her mind off the fact that her feet were probably going to grow feet of their own and walk away if she kept abusing them. She spotted some berries and her stomach growled hungrily in approval. "Hey, look. Berries," she called forward, causing Sam to stop and turn.

She pulled a few from their branch just as Sam ran forward, knocking them out of her hand. "Those are poisonous," he said seriously. "Red and yellow, kill a fellow. Purple and blue, good for you."

She looked at him for a second, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What? I was in BoyScouts once. So what?" He shrugged it off and started forward again.

She laughed. "You're a little bit weird, you know that, right?"

"Been called worse," he answered over his shoulder.

She got quiet after that because it was some of her own friends that did it. Her eyes fell on the path his feet were taking and he seemed just as content with the newly found silence as she was, so she didn't push it. The jungle brush seemed thicker here and she probably needed to focus on where she was putting her feet anyway.

She wasn't sure how long they walked for, but there seemed to be no sign of life anywhere. She wondered if maybe they were walking in the wrong direction, but she didn't say anything and neither did Sam. They'd reach something eventually. That much was true. It was an island, after all. There were probably people out looking for them, too. They were bound to cross paths sooner or later. Or a road.

The sound of rushing water got both of their attention and after a shared mutual look, they veered off course long enough to see what was definitely the most beautiful thing Quinn had seen since they'd been to the island. A small waterfall cascaded down into a small lagoon. The water was so blue, everything else associated with the word seemed pale by comparison. It was surrounded by beautiful pink flowers that danced up the side of the trees that framed it like a fence that had been grown straight from the ground. It looked like something you'd only see in a dream. Her heart hammered as she took in the beauty of it and fought a wild feeling that had her wanting to swim underneath the spray of the waterfall.

"Wow," she breathed. "It's beautiful."

Sam didn't say anything as he looked at the way the waterfall fell into the crystal blue water and he could feel the spray of the water against his face. She was right. It _was_ beautiful. Arguably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Short from the blonde girl standing beside him. Not that he'd ever admit it.

Quinn quickly realized that if they were going to get out of there any time soon, she would have to be the responsible one. "Alright, come on. We have to keep going. Let's just find the hotel."

He was clearly shocked. "What?" He figured she'd eat the place up. "We may never get back here again. Come on, at least take a picture." He made a face as he posed in front of the tree.

She looked at him, almost desperate for him to see that she would give in soon if he kept bugging her and she really couldn't afford to. "We really have to go. We're probably already in enough trouble as it is. You know they _grade _this trip. I cannot mess with my GPA."

He looked from the lagoon to her, as if begging her to see the opportunity that was right there in front of her. "Hello. Do you not realize how special this is? What's your number one school?"

Those two points didn't relate. She wasn't following. "Yale, why?"

He looked at her seriously. "You know how many people applying to Yale have a four-point-oh?" He wasn't expecting an answer so he answered for her. "A lot. You know how many of them have been swimming in this waterfall?" No answer was needed for that question either. "Think of the essay you could write."

She shook her head, trying to shake off just how right he was. She hated that he already knew the things to say to her. Was she really that predictable? "Come on," he tried one last time.

"One picture and then we have to find the hotel. I don't want to waste my battery." She pulled out her phone and rolled her eyes at the triumphant look on Sam's face. If anything, it would always be a memory. She stood next to him and snapped the picture. They were both smiling, something hidden behind both of their eyes. A secret that none of the rest of the world would ever know. "Alright, now we're leaving," she said, tossing her phone back in its bag in her purse and walking away before he had the chance to get her to do anything else.

It didn't take long until they were climbing on top of the waterfall and heading back towards civilization. They'd made almost an entire loop around the island. There was nowhere else it could be. He threw out his hand for Quinn to grab when he knew that she was getting a little shaky. He could hear it in the way her breath would hitch and his arm was already out and waiting when she needed it. "I can't wait until we get to a real bathroom." She sighed thinking about all the things she would never take for granted again.

"I can't wait for a coffee."

She laughed because he probably hadn't stopped thinking about the coffee since he first said it. But they were close, so he'd get it soon. She was almost giddy with the thought.

* * *

She saw the edge of the cliff before they got there. They walked until they reached the end. The sun was going down and the waves were pounding threateningly against the cliff wall. "Where are we?" she asked out loud, her voice already resigned.

"We've been walking for hours."

"We haven't seen a single road. Or person." She spoke slowly. Maybe if she didn't form the words, they wouldn't be true. She swallowed hard. She felt her heart sink as an empty feeling threatened to swallow her whole.

The wind whipped at their hair and clothes, taunting them. A silence settled down around the pair. "We'd better get back to the boat," he said.

It was then that she realized that they could really be lost. They could sail for days and never find the island. There could be a million tiny, deserted islands just like the one they were standing on. The thought made her want to sink into the ground and disappear forever. She turned with him as they both headed back the way they came.

He was good enough with directions to know the fastest way back. The sooner they were back on the boat, the better. Nightfall was probably safer for them on the tiny dingy than the island, anyway. Who knew what kind of creatures inhabited the otherwise lifeless island at night? That was something Quinn didn't want to know the answer to.

"What if we have to spend the night on this island?" she asked when she could finally find her words again.

"It's not like we're going to find a five star hotel around here," he joked weakly.

"Do you know how to make a fire?" She knew that most nocturnal creatures were afraid of the bright light (or she at least hoped they were). If it was the only protection they would have if it came to that, then they needed to know how to do it.

"I do. Former Boy Scout, remember?" He reached into his pocket. "Plus, I have this." He showcased a lighter that still managed to work somehow. She felt a tad bit better.

He was walking ahead. "Perfect!" she heard him call.

She sped up her movements as well, trying to see what he saw. "What is it?" Before he got a chance to answer, her eyes laid on a cave. "A cave?" She could follow his though process immediately and she wanted no part in it. "I am not sleeping in a cave."

He looked at her, shaking his head. "It's the safest place to be! Dry if it rains, only one way in, protection from the elements..." He turned to look at her. "Hey, can I use your phone?"

She looked at him as if he'd lost all sense. Again. "I already told you I don't get signal out here. And I'm not really a cave kind of person."

He took the phone from her hands. "I just need the light." He shined it inside, hoping that there wasn't some kind of sleeping bear inside. "And maybe you're not, but we've evolved from cave people–" he was cut off instantly when an angry swarm of bats screeched and flew out of the cave, woken from the light. Bat after bat tore out and right towards them as Quinn screamed and Sam tried his best to cover her from the angry animals.

"So I guess that's a no on the cave," she said, slightly out of breath when the swarm of bats finally came to a stop and he let her up. He looked at her and nodded. _Obviously_ that was a no on the cave.

They started back to their spot on the beach, back to where they started. It didn't take long to get back. Just seeing the tiny patch of sand and beach brought her back to the feeling she'd gotten when they had first landed on solid ground. She felt like she'd finally been saved. They were going to find the hotel and she was going to be fine.

Seeing it again brought the very opposite feeling.

"Where's the boat?" Sam's voice sounded panicked and she looked over at him as he ran forward.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyebrows pulling together as her eyes searched the beach. She had been too preoccupied with herself to notice what was missing.

The dingy was gone. The tide must have risen and dragged the boat away with the angry waves.

The only way to get off the island was gone.

* * *

**Kay, lovelies. Tell me what you think! At the very least, five reviews before the next chapter is posted! I love hearing from you all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So Mrs. Cameron Mitchell said something I thought was seriously cute. That the fans of this story should be called Dingies. I like it. What do you think?**

**And sorry for the slightly boring chapter. It's kind of a "getting our bearings and getting to know each other" chapter. Figured they needed a small break from drama. Not for long, though. I love you, Dingies.**

* * *

The wind blew her hair back around her face, whipping at her clothes. She ran her hand through her hair, desperately looking out at the ocean as Sam spotted a floating life jacket being tossed around by the waves. He sloshed through the water, grabbing at it. His eyes immediately searched the water. The dingy couldn't be far if the life jacket was still around, right?

But it had all but disappeared.

She felt sick. All the color rushed from her face as it hit her over and over like the waves pounded against the shore: they were stuck out there.

Her illogical mind told her that maybe they could build a raft. But they'd hardly made it the first night on the dingy with the storm and the waves. They'd surely be dead if they thought they could float until they found life on a bunch of sticks tied together with vines.

Hot tears welled in her eyes and she fell to the sand beneath her. Visions of her mother hugging her goodbye, holding on tight as if she knew exactly what was going to happen plagued her mind. She thought about her dad leaning against her door frame, joking about how they'd miss her too much when she went to college. Her sister complaining the backseat how she was the forgotten child.

This was it, wasn't it?

Those goodbyes at the bus... that was it. That was her last chance. _Their _last chance.

Sam didn't comfort her as she slid to the ground and cried. He seemed to be lost in his own little world, his slacks soaked to the knee, as he leaned against the rocks bordering the water.

They were both grieving. And they were completely alone.

* * *

She hated to admit that the sun setting against the beach was beautiful. Sam's body was outlined by the orange-pink glow as he stood watching as the sun buried itself beneath the horizon.

She'd somehow fooled herself into the thinking that they still had a chance. They could still be saved. She leaned against the trunk of a tree as she looked out past the water, past the sunset, past everything.

When she looked back at Sam, he was still staring intently at the setting sun and her heart picked up speed. "Do you see something?"

"No," he answered back, sober but lost in his head.

"Use the flare gun. You need at least two flares. I saw it in a book. The one where... the woman sails around the world with her cat? You're supposed to fire two flares. One to get their attention and one to locate you." She sprayed her skin with the bug spray she was happy to realize that she'd remembered to keep in her purse. She wasn't risking malaria. Then she'd _really _never get off the island.

"Who's they?" Sam asked, his back still turned facing the sun.

She looked up at him, tracing his back with her quizzical eyes. "The people who are going to come looking for us, I guess. Our families, the police, or whoever." She shrugged as if this was something he should have already thought of. Of course their parents wouldn't just sit back and say 'oh yeah, well I guess they're better off out there. What do you think about getting some ice cream on the way home?'.

Sam brought his hand to cover his eyes like a visor. His back went rigid as he looked out at the sun with more intensity. She didn't have to see his face to know that he was looking for something.

"Sam, what are you doing?" The last bits of the sun disappeared against the water and Sam kept looking out and she could feel his longing, the feeling off loss that he had missed something he was supposed to have seen. As he turned around, she sent him silent questions with her eyes, but he wasn't paying her any attention. "What was that about?"

He ignored her. Instead, he pointed at her with the life jacket just before he sat down opposite her. "Hey, can I borrow some of that bug stuff?"

She nodded, handing it over. "Thanks," he said. He reached over for the life jacket and handed it to her. "Want a pillow?"

She laughed. "Thanks. Five star."

He laughed once as he sprayed himself with the bug spray and they fell into silence again.

It was only a few moments later, that something hit her. "Oh! Wait a sec!" She eagerly reached for her purse as Sam continued to spray himself. "What?" he questioned.

She came back out with a small bag of peanuts wrapped inside a ziplock bag.

"Damn. You should be on that _Price is Right_ show." His smile was one of approval. He bit his lip as he looked at her. The smile on her face was nice. He was the reason she was in this mess, so he liked to see that she still had it in her. She looked really beautiful when she smiled.

"I knew it was in here!" She quickly unzipped the baggie and pulled out the bag of peanuts. "I put it in here in case I got hungry when we were building yesterday." She dumped some in her hand and offered another small handful to Sam who thanked her. "And I think you meant _Let's Make a Deal_."

"Hm?" he questioned, his mouth full of peanuts. Then it hit him. "Oh, right. That show." He smiled at her and she smiled back and then dropped her gaze back to the peanuts in her hand.

They split up the rest of the bag and fell into silence for a little while. Her gaze would flicker over to Sam every once in a while and she would wonder exactly what it was he was thinking about. But she figured he'd never tell her, anyway. He seemed kind of internal and she knew that it was the reason why everyone was so quick to cast him off as a loner. No one took the time to understand him.

The last remnants of the daylight were just about to leave them in darkness, so the both of them went their opposite ways to find as much dry wood as they could. Sam stacked them in an arrangement that looked just like how they did it on the movies. Piled up into a nice cone. He flicked the lighter to life and she watched, completely enraptured in the movements of his hands as he coaxed a fire from the tiny flame.

She smiled as he shifted the sticks around almost professionally and the fire grew and she could feel the warmth against her skin. "You're good at that," she commented.

He sat down opposite her, leaning against another trunk. She watched him for a moment with her lips pursed. She couldn't keep it in anymore. "Why do you call me prom queen?"

He looked into the fire for a moment and then looked back at her. He shrugged. "Aren't you?"

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "No."

"You seem like you should be. Perfect girl, perfect world." He laughed once and she studied him for a moment.

"I can't tell if you're being mean or nice."

He laughed again, but he didn't answer. He just turned back to the fire, poking at it with the stick he had in his hand. The fire grew slightly larger and he was glad when she let it go. He just called her the perfect girl. Why would that be mean?

The crackling of a stick in the distance caught Quinn's attention and her head turned in the direction of the sound. Sam seemed unaffected by it. She tried to glance into the darkness, but she couldn't see anything. "What do you think is out there? In the woods?"

He turned his head to follow her gaze and then his eyes landed on her. "We're going to be fine."

She hugged her knees to her chest and shook her head, looking down. "I know." She reached for her phone in a last ditch effort and checked it. She shook her head. "Still can't get a signal."

He reached over and took her phone from her hands. "Here," he said, leaning back against the trunk. She watched him quizzically and then heard music begin to play from the speakers.

She jumped up from her spot and snatched the phone from him, exiting out of the music. "What are you doing? You're going to waste the battery." She sat down beside him and hugged her sweater around her body a little tighter.

"I was just going to listen to some music."

She ignored him, rubbing her hands vigorously over her legs to keep them warm. The temperature was continuing to fall and she had nothing but the clothes on her back to keep her warm.

Sam watched her shiver for a moment, and sat up. "Here," he said, taking off his flannel shirt and handing it to her. "Take my shirt."

She watched him remove the flannel shirt, leaving him in only a gray t-shirt. "Thank you." She pulled the fabric around her body as he laid down against the sand beside her.

He looked up at the small patch of sky he could see through the trees. He liked the stars. He always had. He wanted to point up at a constellation he knew and impress her, but he wasn't willing to open up that much. Not yet. "Night," he said, turning his head to look into the fire.

"Night," she answered back, tugging his shirt around her tighter. It smelled like him. She realized right then and there that she really liked the smell. She was quiet for a moment. "They'll come for us," she said confidently. "I know they will."

He didn't answer. She sat, with her knees up against her chest in silence while Sam fell asleep. She heard another crackle in the distance and her head whipped around to look back into the darkness. "What was that?" she asked, even though she knew Sam was already sleeping.

She didn't hear the sound again, but her heart didn't seem to want to stop beating so hard against her chest. She took a deep breath and let it out, looking around at the woods that surrounded them. This was her life now.

* * *

Sam opened his eyes to the bright morning light. He blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the harsh change from the back of his dark lids to the bright sun. He looked beside him, his hand resting on a very empty life jacket. He sat up, his eyes searching the beach for Quinn. She must have just woken up early and... done some girl things or whatever. He refused to panic until he actually got up and tried to find her.

He stood up, brushing the sand from his body. He stumbled over the small rocks and branches on the beach as he walked the length, spotting her a few hundred yards away, scribbling something in the dirt with a stick. "So you're a morning person, huh?" he asked as he came up to her. He could see the beginnings of a very large 'SOS' in the sand. "What are you doing?"

She wasn't pleased with the way he greeted her. "I'm trying to save us. What are you doing?"

He looked out against the ocean, his sarcastic nature that so easily grated on her nerves was ready to come out to play. He shrugged. "I don't know. I may go for a swim."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the letters in the sand.

"Hey, where's your phone?"

She looked up at him and shook her head. "Battery's dead. Just like I told you it would be."

He groaned and held his hands up. "I turned the music off the second you snatched it from my hands. You can't blame this on me."

She ignored him. "We could use more water." Maybe he could actually make himself useful.

Except that was apparently too much to ask of him. He jumped over the small wall of sand and pulled his shirt over his head. She swallowed as her eyes traced the planes and contours of his chest. He walked a little farther and his hands moved to the button of his pants. She turned her head, ashamed to be watching him undress. His eyes were on the ocean and she turned to him again just as she saw him running into the water clad in only his boxers.

She watched him for a moment longer as he jumped into the water and then disappeared beneath the waves and then she took a deep breath and turned back to her SOS.

* * *

After being schooled by Sam that since they didn't have a proper water conditioner (so ocean water used as drinking water was definitely out) she managed to find the lagoon again, the fresh mountain water falling down in a small stream on either side of the beautiful blue pool of water.

She held her empty water bottle over the small stream and waited as it filled up.

Off in the distance, she heard the snap of twigs again. Her head snapped up and she looked around. Nothing but woods surrounded her. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to catch movement, but she couldn't see anything. She sat up straight, capping her water bottle. She cast one look behind her before she hurried back to find Sam on their beach.

He'd been busy getting supplies together to build a shelter. She caught up with him as he was struggling with two big pieces of wood and a cluster of palm fronds. "Calm down, Superman, I can help you."

He looked over at her and smiled, stopping as she took hold of one side of the palm fronds. "You like superheroes?"

"Not really, why?"

His smile fell just a little as they both started walking again. He turned his head towards their makeshift shelter instead of at her. "We just need some kind of cover in case it rains, you know?" he asked, changing the subject. So he was kind of a comic book nerd. So, what? She didn't need to know that.

"Rain?" she questioned, looking up at the cloudless sky.

He shrugged. "You never know." In other words: You don't know how long we'll be here. It might even be until the rainy season.

Quinn got the subliminal translation.

Sam laid one palm frond over the half-built shelter and Quinn tried to do the same. She yelped when one of the thorns dug into the side of her hand and Sam dropped his second palm frond immediately and went to her aid. He saw the blood and took her hand, wrapping his thumb under his shirt and applying pressure to it. "Are you okay?"

She nodded silently, watching his hands as they pressed against her small cut. His forehead had a worry crease and she realized right then that maybe he wouldn't admit it to himself, but he cared about her. "Yeah. I'm okay."

He looked at her then. "Just keep some pressure on it, okay?" They both sunk to the ground for a quick break while Quinn examined her small cut. "So. Why Yale?"

She looked up at him as if she didn't understand the question.

"Why do you want to go to Yale?" he clarified.

She looked out towards the water and shrugged. "I don't know. I... It's Ivy League. It's just... where we always talked about me going." He looked at her for a minute while something seemed to dawn on her. "It's weird, right? It's where I've always wanted to go... where I was supposed to go. I don't think I ever even questioned it."

Her thoughts drifted out with the sea, wondering about her family; how they were dealing with her disappearance. She bit her lip. "They're not going to give up," she said assuredly.

He shook his head. "No. They'll come." He paused for a moment, his eyes out on the sea. "For you." It wasn't a secret that no one was out there looking for him. No one cared. They were probably relieved. Sam Evans was nothing but a nuisance to everyone and everything.

She looked over at him and shook her head but she said nothing. She didn't like the way he felt like no one cared. Could he not see it in the way she looked at him? Maybe there weren't a lot of people who cared, but there was her. And right now, stuck on the island, she was the only one who counted.

* * *

"How about we just toss these palm fronds over it for a cover tonight and call it a day? We can fix it up nice tomorrow." His eyes surveyed her. She was tired even if she wouldn't show it. And she'd done the opposite of relax since they'd gotten to the island. Since before that, even. Maybe she never had.

She looked at him. "Are you crazy? What if it falls on us while we're sleeping?"

He shrugged. "Then we can just stack the palm fronds on top of each other, set them off to the side and just.. go for a swim. Or take a nap. Or you can slap me until you feel better." He stepped towards Quinn, who wouldn't put down the palm fronds in her hand. "Quinn." He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders effectively ending her movement. She dropped the plants and turned to look at him. "Take a break. You need to learn how to relax."

"How can I relax? We're on a deserted island!"

"Exactly! We're on a deserted island. As in... _deserted_. As is no one else. When was the last time that you just... relaxed?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's a little hard for me to relax. When I stop moving and I have time to think, I remember that I'm stuck on this damn island."

He took her hand and started walking in the opposite direction. He could feel her hesitate. He turned back to look at her with a small smile on his face. "Trust me. I want to show you something."

She followed, still slightly hesitant. They didn't walk far. He stopped in front a tree and looked at Quinn.

She didn't get the joke. "You wanted to show me... a tree? The very same tree that I've seen for three days now? Congratulations, Sam Evans. You know the way to a girl's heart," she said sarcastically, turning to head back in the direction of their small half-built shelter.

Sam was amused. "Oh ye of little faith," he tsked and then proceeded to scale the tree.

She turned back to roll her eyes at him, but saw him clinging to the tree like a half-stupid monkey. "What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?" She walked back over to him, watching as he continued to climb. "Get down!"

"I was a Boy Scout, remember?" After a few more feet, he could reach the top. He plucked a few coconuts from the top. "Watch out below," he called as he dropped the fruit to the ground. He laughed at her face as he started down slowly. For her benefit, of course.

He decided to have a little fun. He let his foot drop even though he had a firm grip on the bark.

She gasped. "Sam!" Her hands went out as if she could catch him if he were to fall.

He laughed as he jumped the rest of the way down, landing safely in the sand. "Gotcha."

She slapped him hard across the shoulder, her breathing deep. "Don't you ever do that again! It wasn't funny!"

"It was a little funny," he countered, a smile still on his face. But her face didn't change. She'd been genuinely worried. He didn't remember what it felt like to have someone worry about him and his face fell immediately. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't think you'd get that upset. I won't do it again. I promise." He lifted her chin with his fingers, making it impossible for her to look anywhere else but him. "Okay?"

She pulled her face out of his hands and swallowed, taking a deep breath. She blinked a few times, glad she'd been able to keep the tears at bay. "You're the only person I have right now," she mumbled quietly.

He swallowed, looking down at the sand. "I know." It was only then that he realized how much she subconsciously counted on him. She had to. They had to count on each other. He turned back to the coconuts he'd dropped them from the tree. "Coconut milk is kind of disgusting, but it's a change from water. I'm going to teach you how to open one, okay?"

She looked down at the coconuts in his hands and nodded. "Sure."

He smiled and nodded, pulling a knife from his pocket. "There's a soft eye in every coconut. It'll be right around... here," he felt around for the soft spot and then reached for her hand when he felt it. He pressed her finger against the spot. "That's what it feels like. They aren't in all of them, sometimes you have to make them. But most of the time, they are. You kind of have to dig the knife in there pretty good." He demonstrated as he spoke, his knife fighting him as he shoved it through the eye of the fruit. When he finally got it through, he twisted the knife to make it into a hole he could drink out of. He smiled as he proudly showcased it to her. "See? Like that."

She couldn't help but return his affectious smile. He was proud of himself and in turn, she was proud of him too. He beckoned her to him and she took a few steps.

"Your turn," he said, handing the knife over to her.

She shook her head. "Um, I don't think so..."

"You can do it," he encouraged. "Just start with looking for the eye of the coconut and go from there." She sighed and ran her hands along the body of the coconut, searching for the soft spot. She could feel him watching her and her cheeks flushed. She hoped he couldn't tell. When she found the spot, she took the knife like he had and held the coconut firm in one hand as she tried her best to slice into the skin of the fruit. Her hand slipped and she dropped the knife into the sand. She sighed, frustrated as Sam laughed once and leaned down to get the knife.

"It's okay. You'll get it. Just try one more time."

She shot him a look, but she was resigned. She found the spot with ease and once again tried to make a dent in the tough skin of the coconut. This time, she held the coconut tighter and used all of her strength to push the knife through. When she felt the skin give way, she couldn't help the victorious smile that spread across her face. Sam smiled too. "I told you you could do it." He nudged her with his shoulder as she even took it a step further and twisted the knife like he had, making a small perfect circle like he had.

"Cheers?" she asked, holding up her coconut and handing over his knife.

He smiled and wiped off the blade before pocketing it. He reached for his own coconut and tapped it against hers. "Cheers."

They both brought the fruit to their lips. It wasn't the best taste in the world, but it was a nice change from water. It would become the island soda.

"What do you say we just go hang out by the beach and call it a day?" he offered. "I think we've worked pretty hard. We earned it."

She relented. If they were stuck on the island, they had all the time in the world to do what it was she was trying to accomplish in one day. "Okay, fine. You go on ahead. I'll catch up in a second."

He furrowed his brows for a second and then shrugged. "Catch ya in a bit," he said, bringing his coconut to his lips and taking a sip. He shot her one last smile as he turned and headed back to their shelter.

She watched him as he walked away. It was weird, but she felt like maybe she was finally getting to see the real Sam Evans. And for the first time since the night of the party she didn't feel stuck.

She just felt kind of good.

* * *

**Reviews make my heart smile.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, I am absolutely blown away by the amount of reviews I got on the last chapter. And my very favorite fanfiction writer reviewed my story and I literally had a fangirl moment. Readingtoomuch if you're reading this, hi I love your stuff. And I take it as the highest compliment that you read and reviewed. **

**Also: special thanks to my #1 dingy: KayKayBritt. I do love her so. And go check out her stuff! She's amazing. I love all of you and you are the reason I continue to write this story!**

* * *

"Maybe we should start thinking long term, you know?" Sam mumbled, still half asleep, a few mornings later as a palm frond fell off the lazily built roof of their shelter and knocked him in the head. He rubbed at the spot, blinking into the daylight.

When Quinn didn't answer, he turned to her. She was sitting with her legs pulled tightly to her chest, her chin resting on her knees, looking out at the ocean. She seemed far away.

His eyes followed her gaze, but there was nothing to be seen. He figured maybe she just had been hoping that after the past few days, someone might have found them. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and dusted the sand from his arms. "Q?" he tried again.

She blinked and came back to, running her hand through her hair and turning to look at him. "Hm?" she asked.

"Where were you just now?"

Quinn took a deep breath and shrugged. "Home," she answered simply. "I was thinking about how my parents and the school might be reacting. If they're here somewhere, looking for us. Or if they're home. What kinds of things they're saying." Her glazed over eyes refocused and she turned to face him. "It's almost like we're dead. Or like we just don't exist. The whole world is going on around us and it's like we're just... here."

His own eyes trailed out the ocean as he tried not to let it bother him that she felt that way. Of course she felt that way. Why wouldn't she? She had a family that loved her and cared about her, friends, a bright future. He was probably the only person in the world who, in his position, felt like he'd be better off. "Here's not so bad," he mumbled to himself.

Her eyes had trailed back to the water and as she remained silent, he wondered if it was because she didn't hear him or because she didn't want to answer, because she didn't agree. He didn't want to think that it was probably the latter.

He pushed himself up and brushed off some excess sand from his body and stretched. "I'm going to go hunt down a sturdy stick and make a spear. Because I am _so sick_ of fruit all the time. I need some meat. Fish, or something. I'm a dude. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"

She thought about the sounds she'd been hearing at night. She looked up at him and shrugged. "Yeah. I'll be okay. But when you come back, can you stand watch by the lagoon? I need to bathe."

Sam froze, his eyebrows pulling together. "Is this a trick?"

Quinn sighed. "No. The trick would have been if I'd invited you to into the lagoon with me. Which isn't happening."

Sam shrugged, a smirk on his face. "If you say so. But what am I standing guard against? The millions of locals on the island?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Just go get your stupid spear."

"Whatever you say, Fabray." He yawned and then headed off into the woods to find the perfect stick for a makeshift spear.

Because, dammit, Sam Evans was eating fish tonight if he had to wade in the ocean all day and night, stabbing at everything that moved.

* * *

She'd never been more thankful for her over-preparedness as she dug through her purse to find her hotel sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and soap in a ziplock bag. They'd run out eventually, of course – sooner rather than later – and then she didn't really know what she would do when that time came. She didn't want to think about then. She didn't want to think about the fact that they might be here longer than that.

Then she spotted her razor. She sent a thanks to the high heavens that she was stupid enough to leave her razor in her purse when she went to a party. That would certainly come in handy. Swimming was going to be much less awkward for her now.

She gathered up all of her bathing necessities and stuck them all in one bag and stood up. "Sam?" she called out to the open. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was around.

He was leaning against a tree, mindlessly sharpening the edge of his new spear with his knife. "Ready, prom queen?" he called back, pushing off the bark with his foot and walking towards her. He laughed, jumping out of her reach as she went to push him or slap him or something.

She didn't bother to correct him. She knew where he slept if she _really _wanted to get even. There really weren't many routes for escape. He had to realize that. "Just shut up and keep watch, okay?" She raised her eyebrows at him as if to challenge her.

"Anything for you, prom queen."

"Twice within the span of a minute. You must have a death wish."

He shrugged, a smirk on his face. "Nah. You're just easy."

She glared at him, but said nothing, stalking past him, making sure her bare feet kicked up sand as she walked. She wasn't sure if hit him or not, but she was satisfied in the knowledge that it was headed in his direction regardless if it got the actual target or not.

The lagoon was just as crystal blue as she remembered it being that first day. She didn't usually let her mind wander back to that time. Back when she thought finding this island had meant finding _the _island. She slipped out of her pants and pulled her shirt over her head. Clad in only her bathing suit, she folded them nicely and set them at the base of the tree with pink flowers. They'd stay dry enough there.

As she stepped nearer to the water, she shot looks behind her to make sure Sam wasn't looking. He was hacking away at his new toy, trying his best to sharpen his spear to a perfect point. Soon all she could hear were the sounds of the light waterfall slapping into the lagoon. She quickly stepped out of her bottoms and undid her top and laid them both on the rocks where she could reach them. Stepping into the lagoon, she let the cool fresh water fall over her face and body.

It was a nice change from the constant heat of the sun, which really only felt like it was getting hotter.

She massaged the shampoo into her scalp, letting her eyes closed as she imaged that she was back home under the spray of her own shower.

The sun was hitting him directly and no matter which way he turned, he couldn't get out of it completely. He sighed, pocketing his knife and tossing his spear to the ground, turning to face the lagoon. "Hey, prom queen!" he called out, catching a glimpse of her beneath the waterfall.

The last bits of suds rinsed through her hair as his voice broke her otherwise calm quietness. "Don't look!" she called back, covering her bare breasts with her arms even though her back was turned to him.

He laughed. "I was just going to ask you if you had any sunscreen left!" he called back.

She wrung some water from her hair and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, frustrated that he didn't have enough sense to check her bag for the stuff. Was he being annoying on purpose? She wouldn't put it past him.

"I don't know. Check my purse. I'm pretty sure we're out."

"I already checked. I didn't even see any bottles and I know you're super anal about keeping stuff like that!" he complained and she rolled her eyes. She wasn't his mother. This wasn't her problem. He seriously needed some leadership skills of his own or else.

"Then I don't know what to tell you!" she yelled back, exasperated. "Use some aloe. There's plenty around here to choose from. Now if you would be so kind: turn around and stop looking."

Sam smirked a lopsided smirk, but he didn't turn around. "You know, every time that you tell me that I shouldn't be looking, it reminds me that I should be looking!"

And damn did he want to look. He knew he could use aloe. He wasn't stupid. But Quinn Fabray was in the lagoon as naked as the day she was born and yeah, he was attracted to her. Who wouldn't be? But there was no way she'd be turning to face him and he probably missed his chance to catch a glimpse of anything for today.

Tomorrow was another day.

He leaned back against his tree, pulling out his knife again as he made work of his new spear.

* * *

"Can I borrow your knife?" she asked as they both sat underneath their half-built shelter to escape the hottest rays of the day.

Sam, who was busy crafting his spear to perfection, looked up and tilted his head. "What for?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Just give me the knife."

He was going to barter with her. Tick his brows and maybe get something out of it. But she stood up then, her fingers on the buttons of her jeans and all his words disappeared as quickly as they had come. "What are you doing?" he asked. Or, well, stammered.

She laughed as she slid her pants down her hips and stepped out of them, leaving her in only her bikini bottoms and camisol. He swallowed as his eyes trailed down her body. He hoped he didn't get caught because that was a luxury he didn't want to be expelled from quite yet.

Damn she had some awesome legs.

She cleared her throat, her hand still out and waiting. "The knife?"

He collected himself rather quickly (something that he found he was very proud of himself for) and handed over the knife, watching with burning curiosity as to what she was up to. Which he probably should have known right away.

She took her jeans and began to slice through the legs, turning them into crooked shorts. It was entirely too hot for jeans and she was fixing the problem herself. She sliced through the denim and considering she hadn't used scissors, they looked pretty good.

She handed the knife back to him and slid the shorts back on. "There. Much better."

Sam silently agreed. That certainly _was _much better.

It was only after the initial HEY, I'M QUINN'S LEGS! wore off, did he realize that he should probably do the same thing. He fumbled around for a minute before he stood up and stripped down to his boxers. He had a more practiced hand with the knife and his shorts came out looking cleaner than hers. He smiled smugly and pulled them back on.

It got quiet again as they both sat down. Sam toyed with the spear in his hand and he could tell that Quinn's eyes were back out at the expanse of sea. "What happens when it gets cold?" he asked, realizing for the first time that his upper body was much tanner than his lower body.

Quinn sighed. Her mind had been trying to go there, but she didn't let it. And now there was no escaping it. "Then we deal with it if it comes to that."

But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

* * *

Quinn leaned against a tree as Sam cursed for hours stabbing at everything that moved. At least she thought it was hours. Time had come to mean nothing to them. She played with the sand between her fingers as she watched Sam plunge his homemade spear into the water and come out empty again. He slapped at the water like it was actually going to do anything and Quinn felt the smooth cool surface of a rock against her exploring fingers.

Her fingers tightened around it and pulled it from the sand. She got an idea. She did as much accurate math as she could, counting off on her fingers exactly how long it had been since they'd been there. She counted and recounted and counted again until she was sure of her number and she pushed herself up and went to find the perfect rock that would now become their calendar.

The white rock in her hand worked almost as good as chalk as it ran over the rough surface of the other. As she drew the lines, she couldn't believe it had already been that long. Home seemed that much farther away as she counted the lines on the rock even though she already knew that they said.

Thirteen.

Thirteen days.

Almost two weeks.

She set the rock down beside the other and just looked at the white lines. She'd tried to keep the hope that maybe they'd be found front and center, but they'd been missing for two weeks and not so much as a plane had passed overhead.

She felt sick to her stomach as she got back up and headed back towards the beach where she could hear Sam yelling annoyed profanities at yet another failed catch. Her eyes were sad as she leaned against a tree watching him. She was resigned. "I thought you were a Boy Scout. Shouldn't you be better at this?" she called out to him, capturing his attention.

"Yeah, you won't be making fun of me when we're eating fish tonight!" he retaliated.

"You're running out of daylight, Sam."

"Damn it, woman. I'm going to catch us some fish if it's the last thing I do."

"If you say so." She paused, taking a deep breath. "And about what you said earlier... about thinking long term? I think we should too."

He could sense the underlying sadness as she spoke and his attention went from his fishless spear to the beautiful, sad girl on the beach. He didn't say anything, because he was tired of promising her things that he had no right promising her. The only thing he could do was try and make her life a little easier.

So, he was going to catch her some fish, damn it.

With a newfound boost, Sam torpedoed the spear into the water and for the first time, he actually felt proud of himself as he pulled the stick out of the water with a fish at the end of it. "Woo hoo!" he called, fist pumping in the air as he showcased the fish to her.

She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm and she hooted and hollered with him. She couldn't deny that fish sounded extremely good after having nothing but fruit for... thirteen days.

"Go get a fire started, Q, because we are eating fish tonight!"

* * *

Four fish later, Sam was walking back to the beach with the fish piked and hung over his back, just as Quinn was setting up the sticks the way he'd shown her. She knew that part wouldn't have taken that long, so she'd used the opportunity to surprise Sam with a "bed" made out of palm fronds. Not that it would be anything like a down mattress, but it would be a small cushion from the sand. And maybe she'd manage not to get so much of it down her pants while she was sleeping.

She set the stick with the fish in the ground and smiled at her. "You did this?" he asked, observing the shelter that she'd reroofed and tied them to the branches for more stability. She just didn't want the time with her own mind to think.

She nodded and he smiled. "That's awesome, Q."

And the compliment meant more to her than she thought a compliment should, but she said nothing. For a moment, that familiar silence came over them again while Quinn fought with the Zippo. Finally, she gave up and tossed it to the ground. "I miss my mom and dad," she said after a few moments. "I even miss my little sister." She laughed once without humor. "And my fish... the smell of my sheets when they first get out of the dryer..." In one last-ditch effort to give herself faith that she'd make it off the island, she looked up at him to find him looking out at the sea. It seemed that a lot of answers were out there that they'd probably never find. "I bet they're still looking for us. They'd have to be, right? You think they'd quit?"

Sam was still looking out at the ocean, but he could feel her eyes on him. He couldn't give her false hope anymore. And he knew what she was doing. She was basically begging him to give her a reason to believe they still had a chance. "Would you?" he asked. "I mean... keep looking for something? At some point, you'd figure it was gone, right?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't think that way. If she had to be the only one to keep some kind of hope, she'd make herself. It was when she followed his line of sight out to the ocean that she realized it was almost sunset. The time when he would watch until the sun went down no matter what it was they were doing. "Why do you watch the sunset everyday?

He shrugged and looked over at her. "Lookin' for somethin'."

"Like what?"

He watched her look out at the setting sun, confused. He shook his head and turned back to the fire that didn't exist. "Nothing. It's stupid."

She would have argued with him, but he didn't look up to a fight so she shrugged. "Zippo's dead. You'll have to teach me how to make a fire without one now."

She hoped it was enough to distract him as he sighed and came to sit beside her, showing her the best and most effective way to start a fire without a lighter. "It's not easy. It's time consuming and things like the weather and the wind are a huge factor. It'll be a little easy today since it's so hot out, but it may not be... in the future." Because they had the future to face whether they liked it or not.

She nodded, trying her best to ignore his last comment as she committed everything to memory. Dry sticks, dry weather is best. She could do it.

It took much longer, but sooner rather than later, Sam had coaxed a fire out of the two sticks and she looked on, amazed and in awe of the things he had up is sleeve. She was glad it was him she was stuck with. Her company could have been much worse.

In a few different ways.

Sam cleaned and gutted the fish expertly, leaving enough of the fillets to go to bed with full stomachs. Her mouth watered as the smell of the meat cooking wafted out around them. She hoped that whatever she could hear in the woods at night didn't decide to join them for dinner. She figured the fire kept them pretty safe.

Her stomach growled as he placed the first cooked fillet on her improvised palm frond plate. The plant was proving to come in handy and it took all of her willpower to not scarf down the whole thing right then and there. Sam looked over as he roasted the other fillet and laughed. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Waiting for you," she answered simply as if he should have known that already.

He smiled, but didn't let on how much it meant to him. He'd never really had companionship like this before and even if it was something that was out of their control, he was glad for it almost. He didn't need home or school or any of those kids who thought they were better than him because he went against the current and they just let it take them. He used to think that maybe she was one of those people. But he was wrong. She was just... Quinn. And she was perfect.

And he thought maybe he was probably in love with her.

When he finished cooking all of them, he took a seat beside her, feeling slightly more shy than he should have, all things considering. "Looks delicious," he commented offhandedly, just for some kind of conversation.

She looked up at him, swallowing down the bite of food in her mouth. It was almost like he was seeing her for the first time. Her eyes bore down into his and caught him completely off guard. "Lor Menari," he whispered, not remembering giving his mouth permission to say the words.

"What?"

"It's Na'vi. The Avatar language. It means you have pretty eyes."

Her cheeks flushed as she tried her best to disguise her smile behind her meal. She tried to ignore the butterflies in the stomach or the strange otherworldly pull she'd felt to lean towards him as he spoke. It was just her mind playing tricks on her. It was just the two of them on the island. Wires were sure to get crossed every once in awhile, right?

She ignored the obvious answer her heart gave back.

* * *

Sam was already passed out on the palm fronds. She'd never seen him fall asleep faster than he had after their dinner. One minute he was talking to her and the next he was in such a deep sleep that she couldn't help but smile at him.

It was exceptionally hot, so before she laid down, she pulled her shirt over her head and laid it over the life jacket she used as a pillow. Crawling up beside him, she laid her head down on her makeshift pillow, her eyes on his sleeping form. His back was facing her and she traced the hard muscles there with her eyes.

It was almost like he could hear her as she looked at him because he started to turn. She thought maybe she was wrong, and he was awake. But his arm came around her side and pulled her to him, still completely asleep.

She was shocked still. He didn't wake up, he just held her close to him.

She didn't move him. She had no desire too. He offered a protection she didn't realize she needed until right then. He felt safe and secure and warm and just... nice.

It wasn't long until she fell asleep, her head resting beside his chest, just enough to hear his heartbeat.

* * *

She wasn't sure how long it was until she woke up again, but Sam's arm was still around her and she was tucked securely into his front. The fire was still blazing so she hadn't been sleeping long. But nature really called and she needed to take care of that issue as soon as possible.

She slipped out of his hold on her as slowly as possible so that she didn't wake him. Not that much _could _wake him, but it was always better safe than sorry. He could be kind of grouchy when he woke up before he was ready. And after waking up in his arms, she didn't want the mood to be killed by his attitude.

She stepped around the fire carefully and then shot a look back at him. He was still sleeping. Good.

It was easy to find her way around now. She could almost find her way around with her eyes closed, so she just hummed to herself as she got far enough away so that she could do her business in private.

She promised herself as she was walking back to their shelter that if they ever got off the island, she would never take toilet paper for granted again. Or anything soft and comfortable. Like a bed. Or a pillow.

Her inner musings almost blocked out the noise around her completely, but she heard the unmistakable sound of twigs crunching beneath weight and she was further from the fire than she wanted to be in that moment. Her blood turned to ice in her veins and her heartbeat picked up considerably.

Her feet picked up speed, and when she could see the fire in a nearby distance, she felt a little better. And then she heard a crackle of forest floor and another snap of a twig closer to where she was than how far she was from the fire and she started to run. A moment ago, she had been more than sure of her surroundings, but all it took was one protruding root to catch her foot and she went spiraling towards the forest floor. A scream tore from her throat. "Sam!"

She could feel herself as she rolled down the rough terrain, twigs tearing at her bear skin as she cried out and winced in pain. Her vision went fuzzy. She thought maybe she heard her name as a muffled cry in the distance, but the black felt better.

She offered no resistance as she closed her eyes and let it consume her.

* * *

**Stay tuned. Next chapter will be all about Blaine's issues with his older brother! Please remember to review.  
**


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